Sermon Tone Analysis

Faith is built on the foundation of hope and trust.

Trust – God’s character

Hope – expectancy

Faith believing God’s word

How to build faith?

!

Hope

To hope does not mean to wish.

Biblical hope is a strong expectation that God will act to help and bless us.

*It is based on our knowledge of who he is.

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At first it may be general and unspecific, a general confidence and expectation that God will do good things, but it will become specific, focused on things that are needful or that the Lord has promised.

Here it overlaps with faith, but it precedes faith.

* General expectancy that God will bless

* Specific hope for a need

* God responds to that focused expectation and speaks his word.

* Faith is rewarded.

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*Hebrews 6:11-20 *

11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, /“Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”/ 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation /is/ for them an end of all dispute.

17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed /it/ by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it /is/ impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before /us./

19 This /hope/ we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence /behind/ the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, /even/ Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

A paraphrase:

“We strongly desire that each one of you demonstrate this same diligence (of which we’ve been speaking, which is focused) towards the full confidence of hope, until the goal (of your hope) is reached.

(In this way) you will not become slothful, but you will imitate those who by faith and patience inherit the promises.”

* The assurance of hope means that the expectation is so strong that it is quite confident that the Lord will act.

* We have to be diligent in exercising hope and faith.

Faith and patience go hand in hand.

So also with hope and patience.

We must keep the focus on the promises.

* Next we see that Abraham is an example of patient faith, an example that we must imitate.

*Isaiah 51:1-3 *

     “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness,

     You who seek the Lord:

     Look to the rock /from which/ you were hewn,

     And to the hole of the pit /from which/ you were dug.

2     Look to Abraham your father,

     And to Sarah /who/ bore you;

     For I called him alone,

     And blessed him and increased him.”

3     For the Lord will comfort Zion,

     He will comfort all her waste places;

     He will make her wilderness like Eden,

     And her desert like the garden of the Lord;

     Joy and gladness will be found in it,

     Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

It is clear that the promises given to Abraham were also given to us.

/“Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”…./

Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed /it/ by an oath….

we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before /us./

* “Strong consolation” is ἰσχυρὰν παράκλησιν,  paraklesis means “encouragement”.

In other words, the promise to Abraham and his example are strong incentives to us to hold on to the hope.

* *The hope is the* *blessing given to Abraham.

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Here is the anchor of our soul, the promise that “blessing I will bless you”…

This is an unshakeable promise.

God is committed to blessing us.

* The picture of the anchor is of a boat on the wild seas of life, held fast by the rope that goes into the holy place, that eternal, unshakeable throne room where Jesus sits.

This is the firmest place in the universe!

* Hope, or that anticipation or expectancy that you will receive blessing from God, is an /anchor of the soul./

It will provide stability to your life and stop you being shaken into frustration, depression, self-pity, anger and so on.

·                    The example of Ray Lockett.

·                    My own testimony of how God has been turning me from negativity to expectancy.

! Faith

!! Two foundations: 

·        Hope

·        Trust

Both are anchored in the character of God.

*Isaiah 50:10-12 *

“Who among you fears the Lord?

Who obeys the voice of His Servant?

Who walks in darkness

And has no light?

Let him trust in the name of the Lord

And rely upon his God.

11     Look, all you who kindle a fire,

     Who encircle /yourselves/ with sparks:

     Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled—

     This you shall have from My hand:

     You shall lie down in torment.

*Luke 7:6-10 *

6 Then Jesus went with them.

And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.

7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.

But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me.

And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does /it./”

9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” 10 And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

!! Developing Faith

*The apostles prayed that the Lord would develop faith.

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·        *Pray for it!

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*Luke 17:5-6 *

5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

!! Faith is based on God’s word.

*Luke 8:11-15 *

11 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

13 But the ones on the rock /are those/ who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

14 Now the ones /that/ fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

15 But the ones /that/ fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep /it/ and bear fruit with patience.

* *Listen to what God is telling you through his word the Bible and learn to hear his voice through the Holy Spirit.

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*John 10:27 * My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.